Q: My husband and I are looking for help with our retirement planning. We have accumulated a fair amount of super, and we are now looking for assistance on the investment portfolio. We have a share portfolio outside super and so we have some knowledge in the area but do not feel confident to make decisions about our ... Read more
Comparing super funds
Which superannuation fund is the most suitable for you? In this section, you can learn how to compare super funds in 8 steps, where to find the latest information on fund performance and investment options, and how to discover, and compare, other important features of super funds, such as cost-effective life insurance cover, reasonable super fund fees, and other member services.
If you have not chosen your super fund, then your employer’s super contributions have been paid into a MySuper account, selected by your employer or as stipulated in an industrial award or enterprise agreement. What then happens to your employer’s super contributions (Superannuation Guarantee) when you change jobs?
In this section, you can also discover whether you have the right to choose/change your super fund, and the steps you need to take to make that happen.
Click on the links below for more information on comparing super funds:
- Types of super funds
- MySuper and your super
- Comparing super funds in 8 steps
- Choosing a super fund (fund choice)
- How do I complete a Standard Choice Form?
- Investment performance
- Super fees and charges
- Insurance and super
- Considering an SMSF
Below are some of our key Comparing super funds articles:
Set out below are all SuperGuide articles referring to Comparing super funds.
Retirement planning: Six dangers when seeking financial advice
I have been writing about, or working in or on the sidelines of the financial services industry for 30 years now, and the regulator and the advising industry are still, in 2018, grappling with how Australians make investment decisions and the influential role that advisers and financial organisations hold in ... Read more
Cheap financial advice available from super funds
Superannuation funds have been providing cheap (and in some cases, free) personal financial advice to super fund members with the blessing of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), since 2009.In early July 2009, ASIC announced that it’s okay to provide personal financial advice over the phone, ... Read more
How to spot an independent financial adviser
Note: SuperGuide originally published this article about 7 years ago, but the topic remains highly relevant for readers today. We have updated the original article with information on the legal definition of ‘independence’ and the IFAAA’s version of independence.Every week I receive emails from readers searching ... Read more
Drafting your SMSF investment strategy: A Super Guide
Every super fund, including every self-managed super fund, is legally required to have an investment strategy. An investment strategy identifies financial goals (investment objectives) for the fund, and helps determine each fund member’s tolerance for risk and the investment time horizon for each member.Although ... Read more
SMSFs for beginners: What is an SMSF, and how does it work?
In the past, SMSFs were more commonly known as DIY super funds. Historically, self-managed super funds have been popular with business owners and other self-employed individualsWith the introduction of compulsory super, and a growing awareness of the importance of saving for a long life in retirement, SMSFs have ... Read more
Super fees: Top 10 cheapest funds in Australia
Note: In this article you can find the cheapest super funds and the cheapest super pension funds. We update this article periodically with fee data issued by SuperRatings. Latest update was April 2018, using March 2018 (super funds), and March 2018 (pension funds) data.We are often asked which super fund is the ... Read more
Comparing super funds: Top 20 cheapest funds for income protection insurance
Note: This article covers the best deals in super for income protection insurance. For the best deals in super on life insurance (death and disability cover), see SuperGuide article Comparing super funds: Top 20 cheapest funds for life insurance.In the past few years, insurance premiums associated with super fund ... Read more
Monthly Superannuation Returns Performance Reckoner (for 5 investment options)
You can find out the median monthly investment return of the 5 main investment options available in Australian super funds for at least the past 4 calendar years (from January 2014 through to the latest monthly results). You can also check out our SuperGuide article Investment performance: Latest monthly super returns ... Read more
Investment performance: Latest monthly super returns (to March 2018)
Note: For investment returns over 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 years to 31 March 2018 for 5 main investment options offered by super funds, see Table 1 later in the article. For month-by-month performance data, going back 4 years (51 months), for the 5 main investment options offered by super funds, ... Read more
Comparing super funds: Top 20 cheapest funds for life insurance
In the past few years, life insurance premiums associated with super fund accounts have increased considerably. More Australians are shopping around for the best life insurance deal, and discovering that men sometimes get a different insurance deal to women, and as you age, your premiums jump dramatically.Very few ... Read more
Superannuation investing: How does it all work?
One of the key advantages of superannuation is also seen as one of its key disadvantages. Many people complain that they can’t access their superannuation until they retire, but this rule also means that your super account’s investment earnings are reinvested regularly for a long time. Keeping your investment earnings ... Read more
